Good people pass away; the godly often die before their time. But no one seems to care or wonder why. No one seems to understand that God is protecting them from the evil to come. [Isaiah 57.1]
I am going a bit off-topic from the obvious meaning of Isaiah 57.1 to discuss the prevailing attitude toward death that lies behind it.
For a child of God, death is not the same enemy as it is to the world; in fact, it is no enemy at all.
O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” [1 Corinthians 15.55]
If we truly understood 1 Corinthians 15.55, it would change the way we approach life. Without doubt, it would allow us to more readily accept the last part of Isaiah 57.1: that, in death, God is protecting them from the evil to come. But, as it stands, the last part of Isaiah 57.1 is symptomatic of a greater problem... an underlying misunderstanding of death in general that is not Biblical.
In the relative short history of the United States of America, there was a time when people willingly accepted the necessity of life being laid down for the greater good. Stories abound from the World Wars in particular of those who willingly, and in some cases eagerly, engaged in battles there would be no way of surviving. They viewed their lives as tools designed to accomplish a task. They were satisfied that if the task was completed, the tool's existence was validated. In just a few decades, that once widespread sentiment has all but evaporated to a wisp.
Most people today view death as the ultimate event to avoid; they might never admit it, but their actions speak louder than their words. The drive to "live-at-all-cost" has become all important in modern society evident in practically every facet of life. For this reason, among believers and unbelievers alike, death is loathed for its victory - its sting. And, because life has become all important, even otherwise "strong believers" often find themselves "mad at God" when faced with an untimely death (for themselves or for others). In fulfillment of Isaiah 57.1, they simply do not understand. And, as is oftentimes the worst case, overcome by emotion, they refuse to understand.
What is lacking in Christianity today is a truly Christian view of death! If God holds each believer's life in His own hands, is it not pure insanity for a believer to think for a moment that he could, or even should, preserve his own life?
Now that everyone is all riled up, let's continue with Bible TRUTH!
Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind and model for all who would be saved, did not come to earth just to live. Jesus Christ came to earth to die.
No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” [John 10.18]
He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief. [Matthew 17.23]
Jesus both understood and accepted the purpose of His life to the point that while He denied anyone the victory of killing Him, He willingly embraced the death He was clearly on mission to accomplish. It took a while for His disciples to come to this understanding, but they eventually did. Jesus gave no credence to the live-at-all-cost mentality of today. In fact, Jesus just as clearly assigned His followers their mission in life:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24, Mark 8.34, Luke 9.23]
In conclusion, there is simply no excuse for Christians to have a live-at-all-cost mentality. The attitude that "I (or others) must live at all cost!" not only exalts life as an idol (thus making idols of everything that improves or enhances life to worldly standards), but also exalts my will to live as an idol.
Thank God, Jesus did not submit to His will to live!
This is not an apology, but, the truth: If 1 Corinthians 15.55 is not our core belief about death, then everything said here will make no sense whatsoever. For a true believer, death has neither victory nor sting. Period.
Father, the topic of death gets our attention. Help us to understand death in light of Your Word. Help us to understand Your authority over our lives that, in turn, guides us as it did Jesus regarding living or dying. Help us to understand that living or dying is not important - but serving You as faithful sons and daughters is. So be it.
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